by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH - On his way out of the Pittsburgh Steelers training complex last week, Ben Roethlisberger used an undeniably old-school method to send a message.

He simply raised his volume, barking loud enough to connect all the way down the hallway.

At the other end, Steelers trainer John Norwig heard the quarterback loud and clear.

It was a good sign for Roethlisberger. It's better to chat with the trainer from, well, a distance, than from in the close quarters of the training room.

Then again, it's May, and after rib and shoulder injuries wrecked Roethlisberger's 2012 season - and took the Steelers down with them - he's feeling fresh again.

"The biggest factor is that there have been no setbacks," Roethlisberger, told USA TODAY Sports. "I don't feel it when I throw. Obviously, any time you get hit you can hurt yourself. But I think everything is good to go."

Like at any NFL outpost, Pittsburgh is not lacking in key players who bear watching as they mend their bodies.

Tight end Heath Miller is rehabbing from knee surgery. Safety Troy Polamalu has used new techniques in addressing his hamstrings. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley declares time and rest have been essential in healing from a high ankle sprain.

Roethlisberger, heading into his 10th season, maintains his throwing wing is stronger. After a postseason scan came back clean, he says, he even started working out in the offseason earlier than normal.

You can imagine the sting of last season after being in the thick of the postseason hunt. Roethlisberger and the Steelers stood at 6-3 after a 16-13 overtime win against the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 12 - the game in which Roethlisberger was hurt.

After a three-game layoff, in which the Steelers went 1-2 without him, Roethlisberger wasn't his usual self.

Two second-half turnovers contributed to a loss against the San Diego Chargers. An overtime pick clinched a road loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He had a season-low 58.6 passer rating while falling to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The three-game losing streak led to an 8-8 finish that marked Pittsburgh's first non-winning season since the .500 mark in Bill Cowher's final as coach in 2006.

Roethlisberger won't dare suggest he came back too soon. Instead, he spins that he learned his lesson from the previous year, when he returned gimpy from an ankle injury.

"I just think that before the injury he was playing really good football, then after the injury he wasn't - and neither were we," coach Mike Tomlin grumbled to USA TODAY Sports. "That's the reality. I'm not trying to make excuses."

He's speaking through the NFL warrior mentality. During the season, everyone is battered, some more than others.

"I just had a bad year," Roethlisberger says. "It happens."

Even worse, the division rival Baltimore Ravens worked through their own injuries and rolled to a Super Bowl crown - as the Steelers might have envisioned for themselves.

Roethlisberger is quick about this.

"When it's not you, you never like it," he said.

"And when it's someone in your division, it's always tougher. It's just motivation to be better this year."

That's the upside. This year.

Roethlisberger will have one less dynamic weapon, though, as his best deep threat, Mike Wallace, bolted to the Miami Dolphins on a mega free agent deal.

Wallace didn't seem as valued in the system offensive coordinator Todd Haley installed last year. Without Wallace's speed, it might be even tougher on the quarterback - who has had to adjust his game to get the ball out quicker in a scheme flush with shorter passes.

"This year, I know a little more about what's going on," Roethlisberger says. "So I can add my two cents' worth on this play or that play. It's good that we've opened up more of a communication line."

Roethlisberger is still trying to downplay his October description of Haley's offense as "dink and dunk." And it is only so convincing when he maintains the comment wasn't meant as a negative.

In any event, it's Year 2 in the scheme - and he and Haley have been tweaking.

"We've thrown out all the stuff that we didn't like, that didn't work," he said. "We've kept the good stuff and even added some things. Normally, at this point in my career, OTAs are boring. But this has been good. I'm still learning this stuff."

Tomlin cuts right to the chase when outlining his expectations for a veteran quarterback who has been to three Super Bowls, winning two.

Says Tomlin, "He's got a legitimate understanding of what defines him and us - and that's winning."